Tips to Prevent Common Winter Diseases

13-11-2018 | Posted By: Chhavi | 495 View(s)

Winter is a beautiful season. People love to feel the cold wind, sleep like a baby in the blanket, and enjoy bonfire during the winters. All in all, winter is the perfect season to enjoy. Whether you are at home or travelling, there is never a shortage of things to do in the winter season. However, winter is also a season when people fall sick a lot. Just as winter starts, many people start getting sick with cold, cough, and fever. Don’t think that the common cold is the only “common” disease in winters because there are many common diseases in winter that we should be aware of. Here we have enlisted some common winter diseases along with tips to prevent them.

Top Common Winter Diseases

1. Common Cold

The common cold is one of the common winter diseases, and its symptoms are a stuffy or a runny nose, coughing, sneezing, a scratchy throat and watery eyes. There is no vaccine available currently for the common cold and is caused by many different types of virus. Usually, the common cold last seven to ten days and adults experience an average of three to four colds per year. One should increase the intake of healthy fluids, take proper rest, and eat a healthy diet to treat the common cold. Over-the-counter medications are also helpful in treating the common cold.

2. Influenza (flu)

Influenza is commonly known as “the Flu”. The symptoms of the flu are high fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, body pain, and headache. The fever can last up to 5 days. Influenza virus is spread by airborne droplets when an infected person coughs, talks or sneezes. Influenza (flu) may also be spread when a person touches an object that has the virus on it. Generally, antiviral medications are given to the patients to fight the flu. One of the best ways to avoid this illness is to make sure you get your annual flu vaccine.

3. Strep Throat

Strep throat is one of the common winter diseases that usually affects school-aged children. Symptoms of strep throat are a sore throat, high fever, vomit, headache and stomach ache. Strep throat can be treated with antibiotics. One of the best and highly effective ways to prevent strep throat is to maintain good hygiene practices.

If you have asthma, then you are probably aware of the fact that asthma attacks mostly happen during the winter season. The dry and cold air leads to tightening of airways and causes trouble breathing. Wash all your bed covers a least once a week and keep your homes smoke free to prevent asthma attacks during the winter season.

5. Itchy and Dry Skin

Itchy skin is a common skin problem during the winter season. Many people deal with a lot of skin problems during winters. Cold temperature along with low humidity causes the skin to become dry and itchy. Try home remedies for dry skin and apply almond or coconut oil on your skin to avoid skin flakes. Try homemade facial masks for dry skin. You can also drink tea made with jaggery to keep your skin healthy and glowing.

6. Joint Pain

Many people complain of joint pain during the winter season. Keep your feet warm during the winter season to prevent joint pain. Exercising is another great way to treat joint pain and muscle stiffness. Apart from that, you should also get some sunshine to keep your joints healthy.

7. Sinusitis

Headaches, coughing, running nose, congestion and post nasal drip symptoms make people feel miserable during winters. Sinus problems occur when there is no proper ventilation in homes. To avoid the problem of sinusitis, get enough rest, drink healthy fluids, eat healthy, exercise, and stay away from dust to avoid catching a cold.

8. Pneumonia

Pneumonia is not like other common winter diseases because it is caused by a bacterial infection. It is a disease that can affect people in different ways. Sometimes it starts as a cold that gets worse day by day, other times it will seem like the patient is getting better, but then suddenly the condition will worsen again. If your child has had a cold and fever for several days, then take your kid to a doctor.

9. RSV/ Bronchiolitis

Bronchitis is a viral respiratory infection in children. It is usually seen in babies less than 12 months old. The symptoms of RSV/ Bronchiolitis are a cough, fever, nasal congestion, and wheezing. The initial symptom is cold, and then the condition can progress into a more severe illness like difficulty breathing, dehydration and wheezing.

How to Prevent Common Winter Diseases?

Here are some highly effective ways to stay healthy and keep common winter diseases at bay:

1. Keep Your Hands Clean

Maintain good hand hygiene in the winter season and wash your hands several times a day. Wash your hands properly as often as you can – particularly if your job involves greeting people, or if you work in an office and touch things touched by others, such as lift buttons, door handles, etc. Avoid using cold water to wash hands because germs like cold water. To make sure your hands are washed properly, use soap and hot water.

2. Get some Sunshine

Our levels of vitamin D drop in the winter season because there are fewer daylight hours and don’t spend too much time outside. Vitamin D deficiency can cause a lot of health problems. Hence, to keep yourself healthy and fit, you should soak some sunshine in the winter season too. Also, eat vitamin D-rich foods such as eggs, cheese, oily fish, milk, and so on to increase your levels of vitamin D.

3. Meditate Daily

A study found out that people who meditated took 76% fewer sick days than those who did not meditate. Meditation helps you to stay focused and also boosts immunity. Practise meditation daily to stay healthy and fit during the winter season.

4. Take Healthy Fluids

To prevent the common cold, you should drink healthy fluids during the winter season. Green tea contains catechin that damages influenza virus particles and stops them from entering your body. It also prevents many other common winter diseases such as pneumonia, common cold, and fever. Sip on green tea to keep winter diseases at bay.

Yes, we all feel lazy during winters, but exercise helps to boost the immune system which is important to prevent common winter diseases. You must exercise for at least half an hour a day to stay healthy during winters.

Massage the acupuncture point also known as Ying Xiang, located at the lower border of the nostril. According to a few studies, this type of nasal message helps to provide relief from nasal congestion.

8. Gargle with Water

Many studies suggest that gargling with water two to three times a day can help prevent upper respiratory tract infections and other winter diseases.

9. Eat Warm Foods

Eat foods that can help you stay warm. Ome of the foods that can help you keep warm during winter are onions, ginger, garlic, turmeric, chilli, and nuts.

As already said above, winter is a beautiful season. But you will enjoy the most when you are healthy and fit. Follow the tips as mentioned above to prevent the common winter diseases. If you experience symptoms of any winter disease, consult a doctor and get a health checkup done.